The conference mainly shed light on issues related to innovation, entrepreneurship, collaboration between universities and the private sector and knowledge and transferring technology and discussed a number of university models in Europe and Palestine.

The conference consisted of three sessions that tackled issues on innovation and intellectual property, strengthening university-enterprise linkages in Palestine and bridging the gap between educational-industrial sectors respectively in addition to other related topics.

Dr. Mohammad El-Amleh, Vice President for Academic Affairs opened the sessions and talked about An-Najah's Business Innovation and Partnership Centre (NaBIC) and its role in promoting creativity, innovation and mutual cooperation with the local community.

Dr. Nedal Jayousi, Director and Representative of National Erasmus+ Office in Palestine presented on the Erasmus+ and the STEP projects’ importance, objectives and impact and discussed the obstacles that encounter the Palestinian labour market. He also stressed the importance of linking the educational outcomes with labour.

In the same context, Dr. Imad Ibrik Coordinator of the EU Projects at An-Najah and Director of the STEP Project said that the conference aims at discussing future mutual cooperation between the Palestinian universities and the private sector. He went on to talk about the STEP Tempus and the importance of the project’s outcomes in Palestine.

The conference resulted in a number of recommendations; namely, strengthening and building new mutual relations between universities and the private sector and offering support to research and development activities at the universities by the private sector through funding research projects, developing specialized research centres, offering research awards, providing technical devices and establishing a fund to support scientific research. The conference representatives also recommended establishing database for research units and centres at Palestinian the universities and liking them with the private sector.

At the end of the conference, participants were awarded certificates.

Notes:

The conference was also attended by Dr. Yahya Saleh, Director of NaBIC; Engineer Khaled Barham, Director of the Korean-Palestinian IT Institute of Excellence; Eng. Shadi Sawalha from the Chemical Engineering Department; Dr. Suleiman Al-Khalil, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at An-Najah; Dr. Nafeth Naser from Palestine Polytechnic University; Dr. Hani Kousa from the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza; representatives from European and Palestinian parenting universities and other notable attendees.

STEP identifies a clear need for action in Palestine to boost the process for entrepreneurship opportunities towards economic development and employability. The project aims at improving conditions for quality growth and jobs and will stimulate the university-enterprise cooperation culture in Palestine by promoting good practice for setting internal-interfaces in universities, creating capacities in human resources, promoting coherent information and communicating strategies amongst the universities' communities and within the local business environment.